Seckou Keita and Catrin Finch
Hello, what have you been doing today?
I have been searching for a South African singer while here in Paris. I have been busy composing all day after a fantastic week in America with Catrin.
How did you end up in Nottingham?
I moved to Nottingham with my partner many years ago and I've been here for over eight years now.
Is Nottingham a useful base for you to make your music or do you feel it would be more helpful to be based somewhere like London?
In a way Nottingham is helpful for me as it's quieter than London and Bristol where I lived before and so I have more time and space to be creative. Sometimes it would be easier to be in London for access and collaboration, but its better for my creativity to be here.
What was your first introduction to music?
My family, they introduced me to music. I was lucky to be born into a family of musicians, a Griot family in Senegal. I was surrounded night and day, wake up and go to bed with music every day.
How would you describe the type of music that you play?
Music for the world. Not world music, but music for the world.
Can you explain what the kora is and how long have you been playing it for?
The kora is a West African harp, with 21 strings normally. It's made from a large calabash and antelope or cow skin, with a long neck, traditionally strung with fishing line and leather rings to set the fret positions. The long neck is made from mahogany traditionally too. It is a Griots instrument dating back to the Mandeng Empire in the thirteenth century played with two thumbs and two fingers. I have been playing it since I was seven years old.
You are playing at St Mary’s Church with classical Harpist Catrin Finch and, according to the press release, the night promises to “explore the traditions of Wales and Senegal”. What does this mean and what can we expect from the show?
It’s a night of music that combines music from our countries, our cultures, our hearts; and where we meet in the middle is something special and new for us, and surprising how much our music has in common, and beautiful to describe and hear the differences. It's a night of melody, rhythm, exchange and surprises.
What have been the highlights of your career so far?
So many, but maybe being the first ever black African to be nominated for the BBC2 Folk music award, that’s something I'm really proud of. Playing for the Cultural Olympiad on the BT River Music in London 2012 was a massive achievement and recognition of my work, it was a position of trust. I was commissioned by Serious Music Ltd to arrange and compose a performance with sixteen world class African musicians from across eight countries in West Africa. The culmination was a hugely proud and emotional moment for me.
Seckou Keita and Catrin Finch perfrom at St Mary's Church on Saturday 18 October 2014.
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